Bradford Sport
Keith Lulia will heed Bradford Bulls Wake-up call
7:00am Thursday 23rd February 2012
Keith Lulia has vowed to bounce back from his nightmare debut when the Bulls travel to Wakefield on Saturday.
The close-season signing from Newcastle Knights lined up alongside Michael Platt in the centres against Wigan last weekend to make his first appearance in a Bradford jersey.
Wigan subjected Mick Potter’s side to a 54-16 defeat, their second heavy home loss in as many games, in what proved to be a harsh baptism for Lulia and fellow debutant Phil Joseph.
By his own admission, Lulia made little impact as Wigan dominated proceedings after Luke Gale’s early departure through injury, running in ten tries.
But Lulia, who had been reduced to the sidelines by a hamstring injury until last weekend, is confident of finding top gear as his match fitness improves – starting at Wakefield on Saturday.
The Cook Islands international, 24, said: “The Wigan match was my first game of the year, and I could have done a bit better, but that’s just how it goes.
“There weren’t many opportunities to show what I could do.
“We dropped a few balls, gave penalties away and did stupid things like not getting the ball in touch from penalties.
“A few things didn’t go our way but Wigan are a very strong and disciplined side.
“They go through their sets and make sure they complete them.
“They pretty much always had the ball and that’s what won them the game.”
Yet Lulia is relishing the opportunity to put things right against the Wildcats this weekend.
He is confident of making his mark against Richard Agar’s team, but is urging the Bulls to make sure they get the basics right.
Lulia added: “Last week against Wigan we didn’t complete our sets, we made a few mistakes, and there wasn’t much opportunity to get any quality ball.
“But we’ll just put the game behind us and move straight onto Wakefield.
“I haven’t seen much of Wakefield yet but I’m confident the boys can go out there with their heads held high on Saturday and show what we’re capable of.
“Wigan are one of the top teams and will be tough opposition for anyone but hopefully we can step up this weekend against Wakefield and I’ll get the opportunity to show what I can do.”
Meanwhile, Gale will see a consultant today or tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury he sustained against Wigan.
Although x-rays revealed no break, further scans have shown damage to the ligaments in his right ankle and he may require an operation, sidelining him for several weeks at least.
Manase Manuokafoa, Karl Pryce and John Bateman are set to line up for the under-20s at Wakefield tonight as they edge closer to first-team contention.